Our World in Data, 25 November 2021

Data review: how many people die from air pollution?

This data review presents published estimates of the global death toll from air pollution and provides the context that makes them understandable.

The purpose of this data review is to present the estimates of the global death toll from air pollution published in major recent studies and to provide the context that makes understandable what these estimates refer to.

The two most widely-cited estimates attribute around 7 million deaths per year to air pollution. But the published estimates span a wide range.